As suspected by his absence in Tuesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers center Ryan Poehling is heading to the Injured Reserve list and will be out for at least a week.
There is no significant information as to what the Flyers center is dealing with, only confirmed reports such as one from the Inquirer’s Jackie Spiegel. And as mentioned, Flyers head coach John Tortorella did not delve into anything further than he is not on the current Flyers road trip that will conclude Saturday against the Florida Panthers. The only tidbit is that Poehling is “banged up” and in addition to an injury, is dealing with a personal issue.
In Poehling’s place comes a quasi fan favorite. Anthony Richard has been just some veteran presence throughout the AHL for the past few years, but his speed and tenacity in the Flyers’ bottom six through the preseason caught some fans by surprise. A 27-year-old signed to a two-year, two-way deal that was destined for the Phantoms, showed some jump to the team and at times, was the best (or most noticeable) player on his line.
What role will Richard truly serve? Well, the Flyers had Nic Deslauriers on that fourth line in Raleigh and while they didn’t get killed with him on the ice — they actually had six shot attempts and just two against with Deslauriers out there on Tuesday — it should be an easy swap. And maybe instead of physicality against an underrated dirty team in the Lightning on Thursday, they go for the speedy Richard to give that fourth line forecheck a jump.
But if Poehling is gone for any significant amount of time, this might just be another concerning thing to add about this start for the Flyers. Cam York and Sam Ersson are still out with injuries for the time being and while Poehling does not match their level of importance to this roster, he’s still a very solid depth piece that could bring it some nights. Hell, the 25-year-old center has five points in 12 games while averaging under 14 minutes a night. Not too shabby. So, he might be missed.
